Hailing from Nalhati, Birbhum, Narayan Sinha has grown up in what he considers to be a masculine environment. From his childhood he found himself finding solace amidst nature beyond the chaotic, mundane human life. A seven year old Narayan eagerly waited all year round to learn about colour palettes from calendars received during Poila Boishakh. He has grown up to be a stern believer that despite being blessed with creativity or not, an individual should practice cultivating sensitivity towards his surroundings.
“I have grown up in the suburbs of Bengal where people love alienating you if you do not fit into a pre-conceived frame built by the society. I have faced a similar struggle in a different manner when I moved to Mumbai for my first solo exhibition roughly twenty years back. Indian society breeds hypocrisy that can break your confidence”, shares Narayan reminiscing about his early days as an artist.
For the past twenty-three years Sinha has been on a journey of finding his own sense of aesthetic which finally culminated into his solo sculpture exhibition Firelight earlier this year. “My first solo painting exhibition after I moved to Bombay was at Nariman Point. It was immensely successful with most of my paintings being sold off by the first day itself. However, I still felt hollow. It took me 23 years to make way to Firelight which unleashed the caged Narayan in me”, adds the sculptor of the show that is steeped in metaphor.
The installation project at 12, Queen’s Park, Kolkata has not only kept Sinha floating through the dark times but also helped him connect over failures instead of stories of his success. Firelight, even though his dream project, had to close doors briefly during the second wave.
“I have spent a fortune in renovating the mansion that houses Firelight and have 35 salaried people in my workshop. I couldn’t simply let everything take a downturn during the second wave and hence was prepared. My father had taught me to conquer the step I have climbed before moving on to the next. Even though it was a challenge with my workshop and jewellery line closing doors I continued providing my employees with a slight pay-cut”, adds the single father of one.
Now that galleries are opening up, 2022 looks booming with projects, plans and festivals for the artist. “I am excited to be participating in the 13th edition of India Art Fair which will be followed by a solo exhibition at the Habitat Centre, New Delhi 2nd February onwards. It’ll be home to 35 installations of mine and speak about fluidity of life. I will also be collaborating with Kolkata Police for spreading awareness about the importance of public installations”, Narayan tells us. The artist will also be launching hhis bespoke precious and semi-precious jewellery line towards the end of next year.